A new holiday tradition has come to life at the Logan Library with the launch of its inaugural model railroad display.
Frank Ascione says the large Main St. facing window at the Logan Library was the perfect spot to build a model train display. Ascione is a retired Utah State University professor and president of the Friends of the Logan Library. He says he had been collecting Lionel trains since he was only about eight years old, and proposed the model as a way to connect the community and evoke the charm of mid-20th-century department store displays. The display will be up until Jan. 4, and is modeled after Logan’s cityscape.
The project began with a heartfelt email from Ascione to Lionel Trains in North Carolina explaining that he had been a long-term collector, and asking for their help with the display.
“Well, three weeks later, a $500 Polar Express remote control train arrives on my doorstep," he says. "So that was the kickoff of the project.”
The community rallied behind the initiative, with local businesses, including Young Subaru, S.E. Needham Jewelers, and St. John’s Episcopal Church, providing financial support. Sponsors logos and symbols are prominently featured on the layout’s billboards.
“So there's been a lot of interest and a lot of support from the community," Ascione says. "We could not have done it without all of the support from our sponsors”
And once the funds were secured, Ascione began building.
“I worked on it for a couple of months," he shares, "and I was out in my garage with a heater on probably four to six hours a day.”
Between the trains, lighting, and electrical wiring, he says the whole display costs about six thousand dollars.
The layout features the iconic Polar Express train, as well as Harry Potter’s Hogwarts Express, emphasizing the library’s mission to promote literacy. Other attractions include a working skating rink inspired by Logan’s Plaza, a custom Logan City Fire Department station, and a snowy Beaver Mountain covered in miniature skiers.
Visitors have a chance to win big in a drawing scheduled later this month, with prizes ranging from train sets to gift certificates from local businesses like Cache Valley Bank and The Sportsman. The display will operate daily during library hours, with volunteers on hand to run the trains.
